Although not quite as lovely smelling as the real thing, these beeswax modeled rose buds do have a sweet smell all their own. We have scheduled working with modeling beeswax as one of our projects in the Spring Bs Homeschool Companion unit. To completed this project you will need a set of modeling beeswax. You can either purchase the modeling beeswax (several of our sponsors carry it or it is available from Amazon) or you can make your own following the directions in our previous post, Make Your Own Modeling Beeswax.
These rose buds are more advanced than what your preschooler will make. Young children can make their own simple shapes using the beeswax like clay. For young children let them work with one color at a time. Also note that modeling beeswax can be used again and again. But if you would like to delve into the world of modeling beeswax with a slightly more intricate project, you might want to try making these fancy flowers yourself. I often find that children embrace art projects with more interest if mom is sitting nearby working on her own project rather than just over seeing the child’s work.
Working with Modeling Beeswax Basics
First let’s go over some general tips for working with modeling beeswax. Modeling beeswax is much easier to work with if it is already a bit warm. I find that holding the beeswax in my hands is never enough to make it truly pliable. I have often heard that keeping in a bowl of warm water is a great way to warm it up but the problem I’ve always had with that method is that you then have wet wax. I can never seem to get it all the way dry… especially if I have already been modeling a shape that has any cracks or crevices. What I have found works the best for me is to fill a cup or bowl with very warm tap water and then line the top with a baggie, or sheet of aluminum foil. This way the wax can be warmed by the water without actually being submerged.
The next tip is to remember that you can mix wax colors to make new colors. The pack I used for this project was the smallest 6 sheet Stockmar modeling beeswax set. For my rose bud I wanted softer colors than the bright primaries that came with the set. I also wanted to created a subtle color shift on the petals. I worked some yellow and red beeswax together until I had a lovely warm orange. It is good to note that you will need about double the yellow over the red to make orange.
Modeling Beeswax Flower Directions
To begin, we need to make a bunch of flower petals. I wanted my petals to fade from one color to the next so I started by making what looks like a piece of candy corn. I added a bit of orange to the top of a piece of yellow beeswax.
I then stretched and flattened the beeswax into a petal shape, which really resembles a guitar pick in shape and size. I made about five petals this size. As the rose bud increases in size you will need to make wider petals.
After I had a few petals ready, I rolled the first one into a tight cone shape.
I then added one beeswax petal at a time around the outside of the flower. When adding petals, line up the edge of each new petal so that it overlaps the previous petal slightly. You can gently curl the top edge of the petal outwards slightly.
As you continue to add petals, you will need use wider petals to create the nice overlap effect. Roll out the top edge of each petal a little bit more with each row.
When you are satisfied with your beeswax rose bud it is time to add the stem.
Use 3-4 pea sized amounts of green beeswax to make smaller petals to wrap around the base of the flower bud.
Next you will need to use a stiff piece of wire or a wooden skewer as the base of the stem.
I mixed a bit of brown with my green wax to get a deeper green for my stem color. I then pulled out the stem beeswax into a narrow, flat shape. It looked as if I was pulling taffy.
Wrap the green beeswax around your stem core and smooth out any edges.
You can make an entire bouquet of these lovely modeling beeswax flowers for your spring nature table.
